Gratia's Trials — page 181: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

172 « @RATIA'S TRIALS. dingy little den he called his ‘‘ office,” and who was scarcely ever away from home. | Late though it was, the colonel found him smoking a huge meerschaum in the window which commanded a view of a for- lorn brick-paved court. ‘*Walk in, colonel, walk in!” said Mr Tessell, who was never surprised at anything. ‘‘And now, colonel, as I haven't the vanity to suppose you are here without an object, what can I do for you this evening ?” ‘‘T want you ta find a young lady for me,” said Hugo, abruptly. “Do you?” said Mr. Tessell, in no way amazed. ‘“ Who, and when ?” And he listened, with his head on one side like a wise old raven, while the American gentleman told his story. ‘Rather a hard task you have set me,” he said, after a few minutes’ cogitation; ‘‘but nothing is impossible. We'll do our best. By the way, here is a packet you should have re- ceived before this.” ‘‘A packet?” echoed Hugo. ‘‘Letters and things,” said the lawyer. ‘‘ Wait a minute, until I ring for candles—this time of day is neither light nor darkness—and then you can look over them at your leisure, while I just jot down a few notes upon the case you have laid before me.” And then Hugo Falconer read the long-mislaid letters from New York, which related, in all their revolting details, the story of his uncle’s murder, and told upon whom the burden of ‘sus- picion had unanimously fallen. Hugo sat staring down at the papers long after he had per- used them over and over again; but at last he twisted them into a spiral coil and threw them into the wreathing tongues of flame that leaped and danced in the grate. -**Gratia Kempfield a murderess !” he muttered, between his tightly set teeth. ‘‘I will never believe it of that girl, who had Gom (el oYolo) <SnlEce